Some people say the only way to stop online harassment is to stop going online. Well, we aren't going anywhere. Reclaim Your Domain is Refinery29's campaign to make the internet (and the world outside of it) a safer space for everyone — especially women.
Today, our online lives offer the potential for greater connection than any generation has ever experienced. But with all the benefits of those connections — staying in touch with college friends, reaching out to potential employers, and "seeing" family half-way around the world — comes a scary reality: Too many people, especially young women, face abuse online on a regular basis.
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Our screens are powerful tools for good, until they start serving as platforms for those faceless trolls spewing words of hate. As we spend increasing amounts of time online, and new technologies allow us to connect further in the virtual world, this harassment will continue to grow — unless we take a stand.
Below, we've pulled together some of the most compelling statistics about online harassment. Read them and gear up to join the fight.
Over the course of this month, we'll be talking with the women who are finding new, innovative ways to fight internet abuse and offering advice on how you can be your best advocate online.
*The above statistics have been drawn from the Data & Society Research Institute's Online Harassment, Digital Abuse, and Cyberstalking in America report; the Pew Research Center's online harassment study; the Data & Society Research Institute's Nonconsensual Image Sharing data memo; and the office of U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark's release on the Cybercrime Statistics Act.